Clonazepam Withdrawal
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Klonopin, or clonazepam is one of the hardest drugs to get off of. I have seen this in hospital settings as a nurse myself and as a patient of this horrible drug. Benzodiazepines should never have been invented. I have been on this med for 3 years now, and cannot handle the withdrawal affects no longer than one month. I wish the doctor would have warned me of how dependent your brain and the central nervous system relies on this med only after even 2 months of taking this. I have been advised by doctors to slowly shave the pill down over a period of a year if needed, and then I have had some doctors tell me that may never be able to get off of this drug ever!! Withdrawal symptoms include for myself a feeling of anxiety and panic constantly, never-ending, shaking, hot and cold, no appetite, frequent diarhia, vomiting, no sleep, nightmares if I am lucky to get any sleep. Weak muscles, muscle pain, eye sensitivity to bright lights, hallucinations since the drug controls the gaba receptors in your brain, thus affecting your eye functioning as well. Worse of all is the constant fear and panic, day after day, week after week, never-ending. I would like to kill the doctors that invented this crap and the one whom so casually prescribed this to me, or better yet, put them on this drug for 3 months to 1 year and cut them off cold turkey at say 3mg a day. That is all I have to say for now.

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I have been on a 5mg dosage of clonazepam for two years. My psychiatrist prescribed 5 1mg pills a day for my anxiety. He reduced my 5mg pill a day to 4mg a day. I am concerned about withdrawal from not taking that 5th pill. Do I need to be worried?

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I understand Nic, thank you for your testimony. I'm getting beat up for what happened to me

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I’ve been on clonazepam now for 15 yrs at 2mg every night for going to sleep. Now I want to quit taking it. How long will it take and how can this be done by myself, getting off the drug?

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You are so right Nic, I had the most horrid withdrawals. I found a few recovery groups to get through the unrecognizable unimaginable, unexplainable withdrawals! On CNN Sept 29 there will be a story on this medication.

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Some people do need it. Some people should never have taken it in the first place like myself. But if someone needs it by all means

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I have also been taking this damn drug Clonazapam for a little over a year. I am not going to lie, i have doubled or even tripled my dosage to feel good, and now im having problems. I am torn between seeking treatment or finding a doc that will give me the amount i want. Help!! Im 26 and i originally got prescribed Ativan in the ER for a severe anxiety attack. I was in and out of the hospital. I would start screaming and crying my chest would hurt and fingers and lips would gp numb from hyperventilating. But after some therapy i am able to control it. But i cannot stop taking the Klonopin even though i want to bc i get headaches, agitated, mood swings, and yes sometimes i feel good but not as much as before...

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i think everyone has a addiction problem! i know been there done it got the mug! get out live !! stop get help you dont need all this crap in your body
i was on 10 different meds xanax, somas,floricets,loritabs just to name a few AND ONE DOCTOR GAVE THEM ALL TO ME FOR 3 YEARS all i needed was a divorce!! i thought it was me and it was him took 3 years of my life iam good now BUT yes iam going there!! I have to bring GOD in this picture! He will be the boat in the storm .. you will have to go threw a period of dts but he will bring you threw it, i shook, and didn't eat, zombie funny 1 week after giving it up i went to the center for drug free living took a IQ test ( part of the required 1000 forms) i scored a 85 which is retarded !! i have a BA from ITT tech. that i got like 5 years before this so yes it messes u up.. Now i have a counseling licensee and IQ of 135 been clean since 1996!! LISTEN TO ME. THE WANT IN YOU TO BE FREE HAS TO BE STRONGER THE THE WANT TO GET HIGH!! and its easier to!! peace out GOD BR WITH YOU ALL!!

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thanks peaces

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dear nic kovolik i agree with you thats how its doing me were here for help otheres life may be different but mine is like NIC KOVOLIK SO WHAT DID YOU DO ARE YOU OFF OF IT

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i have a heart promble 30 year old liver disease and my doctor put me on this and nowing what would happen o please doctor know iam sick iave had cancer and my mothere died on this clonazepam and finley the doctor said she would alway be on it well shes dead now so look what happen my liver bad what do i do i got shot and in my splen and iam so sick i never abuse it she just took me off one med put me on other god can some onee email tell me who made this drug iam so sick the with draws i was out of my head who would make this drug and who ever did should be held for it my body is sick and on top of this o mine god i need help i had no idea this was like this my doctor said its better for ya so any help please email me

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DUDE IF CLONAZEPAM IF MAKING YOU CRAZY , TALK WITH YOU'RE DR. = M.D. THERE ARE OTHER MEDICATION'S BESIDE'S CLONAZEPAM THAT MIGHT HELP YOU ... I SEE PEOPLE TYPING THIS CRAP BLAMING THE DR'S , AND THAT'S CRAZY .... IF A MEDICATION IS MAKING YOU FELL WEIRD , ADVISE YOUR DR... IF YOUR DR DOES NOT DO NOTHING , GOTO A DIFFRENT DR... I DONT NOT FEEL SORRY FOR ANYONE THAT SAYS THERE GOING TO KILL SOMEONE ... THATS KID TYPING , AND THINKING IN MY OPION... GOTO A HOSPITAL AND GET MEDICAL HELP /// 911.... DONT POST CRAP LIKE THIS ... THERE ARE OTHER OPIONS!!!! THIS IS MY OPION !!! IM NO DR. OR M.D. BUT I HAVE DONE ALOT OF RESEARCH ON CLONAZEPAM , AND IT DANG SURE DOE'S NOT EFFECT MYSELF THAT WAY ... BUT DIFFERENT MEDICATION'S EFFECT PEOPLE IN DIFFERENT WAY'S /// GET HELP ... MAYBE DIAZEPAM , ? WHY TAKE A NARCOTIC MED , AND BLAME YOUR DR?????????

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Have you considered an anti-depressant? I was skeptical myself, but SO glad I tried it!

I started suffering from anxiety disorder about 10 years ago. One day I felt like my normal, happy and positive self, then the next I started feeling anxious, nervous and uneasy. I found myself unable to perform routine tasks without feeling completely overwhelmed and insecure. Everything was the same as it had been the day before, but for whatever reason, *I* was not. After a couple months of unsuccessfully trying to “will” myself back to normal or simply “snap out of it” (ya right!), I finally went to see my doc. He prescribed Klonopin for immediate relief of my symptoms, but also prescribed Prozac along with it. I questioned the use of an anti-depressant, but he said it was excellent for anxiety, and that after 4-6 weeks of taking it, I wouldn’t need the Klonopin, nor would I miss it.

He was right!

Taking the Klonopin certainly took the edge off (I honestly don’t know what I would have done without it!), but I definitely still felt off. It wasn’t until the Prozac started to work about 4 weeks into treatment that I realized I was actually feeling like me again! No nerves, no anxiety, no racing heart, and no need or desire to continue with the Klonopin.

1 year later, I stopped taking the Prozac and felt great for another year to follow, but unfortunately the anxiety came back. Doc said a lot of people go the rest of their lives without feeling that way again, but because I did, chances were it would keep reoccurring unless I stayed on Prozac.

He was right again.

I had stopped taking the Prozac without telling him in hopes I would be fine, but sure enough, 6 months later the anxiety was back. Started both meds again, dropped the Klonopin about 4 weeks later, and have been taking the Prozac ever since. Not once in these past 8 years has the anxiety returned, nor am I any different a person on Prozac than I ever was before any of this ever happened.

Thank you for giving me my life back Dr. Joel Young!

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I am on Rivotril since the last 15 years.

First years, you're ok since the doctor is prescribing it and it's working great.

Then I changed my life a lot: relaxation techniques, going out a lot, resting well and managing a lot my daily stress.

I was able for the past 3 years to cut my dosage by 66%. (So I'm taking 1/3 of what I was taking 3 years ago).

Then the doctor told me that even if he was going to prescribe me some non so addictive drug, I might never been able to leave clonazepam 100%.

The drug is not a problem since it was meant to relieve me from a condition I have since many years.

To the original poster: 15 years ago I only saw my life as a dark and long tunnel.

Since a few years, things are getting better... wish you the best.

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I take Klonipin only on rare occasions. It helps me cope with certain situations. For me, I am grateful for this drug. The pharmacy warned me this drug was addictive and to be careful, so I am. My advice is to SLOWLY take yourself off a drug. Cut the drug into pieces and lower the doses. There will always be something to be addicted to if you're not careful. Willpower and self-determination can work if you want it to. Make goals of when you want to be off it such as 6 weeks and then each night slowly decrease the dose. I hope the best for you.

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I have floating anxiety disorder (anxious at any moment for unpredictable lengths of time) but am commonly quite self-confident. I have a sleeping disorder but it is not associated with breathing. I wake up every hour, alert, and then go back to sleep. I repeat this cycle over and over. I nap in the afternoons and come home exhausted. Clonazepam provides me with a good nights sleep for 3 months. When the script was finished my old pattern returned. I've had a number of nightmares but no other side affects have shown up. I haven't had any moments of craving or need for it but really appreciate it's ability to let me sleep. I agree that some people are far more sensitive to many physical issues and can become emionally dependent. I also agree that EVERYONE chooses to take the action following a doctor's advise INCLUDING informing him of your experiences. The doctor must understand the impact of his decisions upon you with medication. That's what the word consultation means. I'm grateful for this drug.

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I'm on a bit of the Klon for the past six or seven weeks.

When I had to get off Percocet three years ago, my father gave me sage words of advice: At some point, you just have to suck it up. The history of mankind is littered of stories of people doing amazing things, and this is something people can do if given the right help.

I try to take as little clonazepam as I can, 0.5 to 1.0 mg. a day. It's not a permanent thing, just something I need now. When I go off it, I already have a support network through AA, and I have friends who got off clonazepam. Call me paranoid, but my ability to not take clonazepam is just as important to me as my ability to take it.

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I AM ALSO A ADDICT MY DOCTOR HAS GAVE ME SUBOXONE TO TAKE ME OFF THE TAB'S BUT THIS OTHER DOCTOR GAVE ME TRAMODOL I HAVE FRIEND'S WHO USE THE SUBOXONE AND DID GOOD ASK YOUR DOCTOR BOUT IT

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I am so sorry to hear of your problems. I was on a drug for my nerves years ago and I can't remember the name of it. I told the doctor who prescribed it to me that I was ready to come off it. He smirked and said I'd never be able to come off it. I then responded 'Watch me!' I then came off it. Ijust remembered what the drug was . It was Xanax. I started weaning off it so slowly, without his knowledge and it took me 15 months when I took my last pill. It's possible to do it but I found that by the doctor not knowing I had complete control as to how my body felt etc. I never felt withdrawal since I came off it so slowly and on my terms that it went as smooth as can be. I did what that doctor said couldnt be done. I don't know if this helps but I hope so. I feel your pain. I also was not told that it was terribly addictive. Patti

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I do agree with you. I was given this drug by a holistic doctor no less and he said it was fine and that he had patients on it for year. Yes, now I know why because its so hard to get off. You become dependent quickly because it is altering your neuro chemistry so that what you should be producing on your own is not happening. Then you start to need higher doses to get the same effect. Whats actually happening is your body is withdrawing already because the lower doses arent' cutting it-so little by little you take a little more. Some of the very things that I have taken the drug for have gotten worse over time and I believe its partly due to the drug. And then you have to keep running for a check up because its a controlled substance so you can get more. I agree if its so controlled why are the doctors able to have people on it for years-perhaps the drug companies really only care about one thing and thats their bottom line. How about if their own employees start taking it or the big heads of the drug companies. I too wish I was never prescribed this drug. If anyone has a method for weaning off please let me know. The shaving down is not ez. One person mentioned beer-I don't drink but its worth a try.

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I am telling everyone now that is on Klonopin, I reached 4mg a day, may not seem like too much! But I can tell you coming off it is sheer hell! It's the truth. You will build tolerance up one day or the other, then I hope everyone the best coming off cause this is hell! I'm not exaggerating, The w/d is so strong sometimes, it's like you can't even explain it. At it's worse Lethargic, Panic, Seizure, Trapped inside yourself. I know ppl say Oh I love this medicine, it helps so much well when you're coming off, you'll wish you never seen it! That's all I'm going to say. And some of these ppl are probably Big Pharma, so you need to watch out!

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